sermon notesA collection of resources, background information, and periodic reflections on the scripture readings in worship from Pr Josh Ehrler. Archives
July 2018
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Finally Some Good News in Mark 1.1-812/6/2017 Our reflection is for the second Sunday in Advent Year B on Mark 1.1-8.
Mark begins where faith begins, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus the Christ, Son of God” (v.1) Immediately he stretches this out by explaining this as good news because the prophet Isaiah proclaimed awhile back, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (v.3). It is fair to argue that in these brief opening lines Mark reveals his entire vision for who Christ is and who we are called to be as his followers. Bonnie Bowman Thurston, Preaching Mark, notes that Mark uses the phrase “good news” (sometimes translated “gospel”) more than the other gospel authors (pg.14). For Mark this is not book of lovely accolades and incredible bits of history to warm our thoughts, this is our hope and salvation. Not the words on the page, the Son of God revealed through them. Jesus the Christ is our life yesterday, today and forever. Mark writes his gospel with a sense of wonder at what Jesus can do among us bumbling mortals and these opening passages are designed to leave nothing to doubt and everything to the imagination. Elizabeth Struthers Malbon in Women’s Bible Commentary draws Mark’s language of good news further out by reconnecting us to its political roots. Good news was a specific event in Mark's time, a public proclamation heralded in the town square in advance of an arriving king or noble person. Good news was the triumphant entry of a military unit into a region (whether or not the soldiers were wanted by the locals). Good news was declared when victory was won over the hordes and legions of inferior tribes interfering with Rome’s expansion plans. Good news imply conquest, obliteration of opposing forces, unrequited power in the human realm (pg. 480). For Mark, Jesus the Christ represents none of what God’s people understand or expect. Our Messiah dwells among us a servant. He feeds the hungry, heals the sick and defends the oppressed from the powerful. Jesus in Mark is almost constantly moving from place to place but not for conquest and only for the fiery spread of his good news that the ways of this world are not God’s. The kingdom has already begun, Creation is being renewed, Jesus is here to bring forth this promise, even through the cross we build to defy him. This is happening, people, even when we don’t like it. Even when we, like the mountains and the rocks, try to stop Christ’s progress. Even when we, like the bumbling disciples we meet later, stay silent and ignore Christ and abandon him on the cross. Jesus is coming because Jesus is here. He is the good news we the economically impoverished have been longing to experience in our pantries and closets. He is the good news we the abandoned have been hoping to know through dignity and respect. He is the good news we the oppressed have been crying out for as our lives are denied, our rights are revoked, our visas are cancelled and our identities are profiled by hate. Jesus the Christ is beginning the good news because the promise of God has already started. All we can do is get up and fall on our knees in repentance. Mark is reminding us that the kingdom of our Lord is here to reign over all the powers that shadow over God’s people. We have the privilege, the call, the good news to join this revolution and straighten out the path and follow our Lord to the cross. And when we fall short, because every disciple in Mark falls apart, our risen Messiah will take us back to the beginning again. Christ will start over with us again and rewrite our script through our repentance again and take us through the wilderness for our preparation again and he will tell us, again and again, that we are loved, that God is here and that Jesus is our Christ, our hope and salvation. Our good news is that the renewal of God’s world is happening through Jesus the Messiah. It’s out of hands and out of our control. It is ours to proclaim and live out.
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